A Thousand Broken Pieces

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness, mental illness, death, and death by suicide.

Cael ignores texts and calls from his parents and Stephan. Travis apologizes for talking a lot, and Cael reassures him, noting Savannah’s influence on his feelings. The sun breaks through, and Cael feels like he is making progress. 

The group gets on the bus to go to their last climb, and Savannah sits next to Cael. They talk about the climb, and when Dylan and Travis interrupt, Cael makes a joke about Dylan being annoying. Everyone laughs, and Cael cherishes Savannah’s smile. The next country they will visit is Norway, and Savannah hints that she knows people from Norway.

The group hikes the mountain, and Leo and Mia give a speech afterward, praising the group’s resilience. They compare climbing mountains to getting over grief, and Cael wonders if they are right. Savannah cries and says that Poppy would be proud, and Cael chokes back tears thinking of how supportive Cillian was. Cael and Savannah stand holding hands and staring at each other while the group gets back on the bus.

Cael notices Leo looking at him and wonders when Leo will address how Cael has changed.